Journey into Harad
by Nibiru-Mul
Summary: Another adventure comes up for the Men of Gondor after Faramir is brought into contact with a woman from a Haradrim kingdom who seeks aid in overthrowing a corrupt ruler. Now Faramir, Aragorn, and others are traveling to the lands of Harad. Please review!
1. Introduction

_**A/N:** This is a story I have had an idea for since 2006. My first attempt for an online edition was back in 2010. In this story, Faramir is the main character. Aragorn and Beregond play major roles as well. Éowyn, Éomer, and Arwen will be featured in supporting roles. A host of OCs play roles in this as well._

**_DISCLAIMER: _**_I do not own the characters of LOTR. I do, however, own several of the characters, especially the ones from Harad. Most locations in Gondor belong to Tolkien Enterprises, and most of the Harad locations belong to MERP (courtesy of a map on the website Lindefirion.) This story is for entertainment purposes only and is not meant to be taken as canon, so if you are a purist, don't read this story._

_On the other hand, if you don't mind non-canonical stuff, enjoy the story!_

_Rated T for violence and language._

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**THE ESTATE OF NIBIRU-MUL PRESENTS**

**JOURNEY INTO HARAD**

**CHAPTER 1: THE SHIPYARD**

This is a story that takes place after the fall of Sauron. It concerns an incident between the Reunited Kingdom and the lands of Harad.

The day was August 28; two weeks after the Fellowship of the Ring had left. Aragorn, the King of the Reunited Kingdom, was about to arrive back in Minas Tirith. This seemed to be the beginning of a long peace in Gondor.

Faramir, the surviving son of the late Steward Denethor, was now the Prince of Ithilien. He had fallen in love with Éowyn, the sister of Éomer, the new King of Rohan. At the funeral of King Théoden, it was announced that Faramir was engaged to Éowyn and they were to be married some time during the following year. No exact date had been set for the wedding, though, but it was expected to be quite grand.

It was a bright, sunny day during the late summer in the city of Pelargir along the River Anduin. Many people of the town were outside enjoying the fresh air. Birds were flying overhead. The shipyards were busy as well. People were stocking the ships with goods to transport along the river to other parts of Gondor.

Faramir was staying in Pelargir. He had brought Beregond with him. The two were going to inspect ships in the shipyard, per request of one of the local lords. But first, they were taking a walk through the streets of Pelargir. The city was quite busy, but it was still a good sight. The buildings that lined the streets, complete with the flowers and trees below them, made a perfect spectacle for viewers. The buildings' shadows kept Faramir and Beregond cool from the sun's heat.

We see Faramir walking down the streets. He is clad in a tunic of green and yellow, and has black boots on his feet and a purple chaperon on his head. He was followed by Beregond, who was wearing a silver tunic.

"It's quite lovely out," said Faramir. "I haven't been here in a long time. In fact, I haven't enjoyed the real outdoors since before the war."

"Yes, my lord," said Beregond. "Nor have I enjoyed it."

Faramir looked at the colorful flowers that were planted on the sides of the road. "It's too bad that I couldn't bring Éowyn here with us," he said. "She would have loved to see this."

"I agree," said Beregond. "But we should be getting to the shipyard. Those ships are not going to inspect themselves! We should be there soon, but there's no time to be dawdling. Right, my lord?" Faramir nodded.

The two walked for a few minutes, and then Faramir noticed the shipyard. "Look!" he said. "There's the shipyard. Beregond, let's approach it and look at the great ships."

"Yes, Faramir," said Beregond.

Faramir and Beregond walked towards the shipyard. There were many ships of Gondor anchored there, ranging from small boats to great galleons that were used to cross the seas. These great ships had often traveled to the vast southern lands where the stars were strange. Aragorn had been on such a ship on a journey to the southern Harad, reaching as far as the kingdom of Zimrathâni.

At last the two reached the shipyard. This shipyard was known as Falastir. The captain of the shipyard, a fat, bald man in dirty, ragged clothing, saw Faramir and Beregond. He ran up to them and greeted them by wildly shaking their hands - much to Beregond's displeasure. "Hello, there!" He said. "It's me, Halgorm. I am glad to see you. These here ships need the approval of Your Excellency..." Here Faramir blushed.

"Please," said Faramir to the man, "call me Faramir. I'm not even close to the King when it comes to grandeur."

"We will do so," said Beregond. "The King has been planning this for a few weeks now."

"Okay...Faramir..." said Halgorm, feeling snubbed. "You can get to the inspection."

Faramir and Beregond got to the inspection. They went inside each ship and looked through the insides. It was quite boring for both Faramir and Beregond, but it did help pass the time. After all of the ships were inspected, Faramir felt tired. As soon as he had walked off of the last ship, Faramir walked up to a wooden pole, sat down against it, and fell asleep. He lust sat there for a while...until...

"Wake up!" said a voice. The voice turned out to be Halgorm's. "Thank you for inspecting the shipyard!"

Faramir got up and walked besides Beregond, who was standing to Halgorm's right. "As a token of my thanks, I will give you some money!" Halgorm gave Faramir and Beregond some gold pennies, silver pennies, and a few crystals. "Get something nice of yours," he said. This made Faramir look at Halgorm in a weird way.

"I know you already have a lot of money," Halgorm added, "being a prince. But I figured that you'd need some."

"I don't understand you," said Faramir, "but thanks. Nice to be seeing you." Halgorm left the shipyard and went into the wharf nearby. Faramir and Beregond just looked at each other blankly. Halgorm was definitely a weird man.

"Is it me," said Beregond, "or does Halgorm have something wrong with him?"

"Give him a break," said Faramir. "Halgorm is an old man. You should just be glad that he made it through the war. A lot of people did not make it. Just think what could have happened to your family?" This made Beregond almost worried for a minute, but he did realize that Faramir was just pointing out something to him.

"I understand, Faramir," he said. "I should have been more considerate of Halgorm."

Faramir and Beregond made their way out of the shipyard and back onto the streets of Pelargir. They decided to take a walk to a tavern called The Revenge Star. It was a tavern where many travelers and rangers gathered.

Eventually, Faramir and Beregond arrived in the tavern. Since the tavernmaster recognized them, Faramir and Beregond were seated at a table of honor. They were given ale to drink and roasted pheasant to eat.

Faramir drank his glass of ale. "Refreshing," he said.

"Indeed," said Beregond. "Things have been going smoothly lately. When did Aragorn say that he was going to be back?"

"August 29," said Faramir. "That is tomorrow. He said that he was going to travel with the hobbits for a while before bidding them farewell."

"We should not be troubled for any amount of time," said Beregond. "There is peace in Gondor, and no damned armies of Sauron can change that!"

"Beregond, don't get overly zealous," said Faramir. "An army of Orcs or Haradrim could easily overtake us if we don't remain on guard. You have shown great courage during the war, but courage shall never turn into overconfidence. Remember that."

Now Beregond felt snubbed, for he did not like being rebuked by someone a full ten years younger than him. But he responded to Faramir. "My wife Galenil has been worried about an invasion," he said, "and I am willing to defend Gondor from any foe. I have heard of a particularly wicked king of the Haradrim..."

"Narduzîr?" asked Faramir. "The King of Bellakar? That must be who you are referring to. He is supposedly greatly detested even by many of his people. And yet Narduzîr has a tight influence over Harad. He had helped Sauron attack Osgiliath, and I had briefly mentioned him to Frodo and Sam back in Ithilien. Narduzîr is not a man to be messed with."

"At least he's not here."

"Yes. But he might be planning an attack as we speak."

Faramir and Beregond finished their meal and left the tavern. They decided to walk through the streets, which were now lit by a late afternoon sun, and go back to the shipyard.

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**AUTHOR'S NOTES ON NAMES AND PLACES:**

Halgorm - It sounds vaguely Sindarin. Don't shoot me for using Grelvish.

Galenil - derived from Sindarin _galen_ meaning "green"

Bellakar - a kingdom in Harad that appears in Middle-earth Role Playing. It is located at the bounds of Near and Far Harad.

Zimrathâni - another kingdom in Harad, courtesy of MERP. Means "jewel land" in Adûnaic. In this fanfiction it is located south of Arda's equator.

Narduzîr - "soldier-friend" in Adûnaic. He is an original character. It's possible that Adûnaic was still spoken in western Harad during the Third Age, so I'm using it here.


	2. The Night of Conversations

_**A/N:** I know this chapter isn't good, but the next one should be better!_

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**CHAPTER 2: THE NIGHT OF CONVERSATIONS**

That night, Faramir and Beregond stayed at the inn in northeastern Pelargir. It was a warm night, but it was clear, and the stars were visible.

Faramir was looking out the window. He had stripped down to his underclothing. He was looking at the stars.

"You should see all the stars that are out here," said Faramir.

"I am not one for star watching," said Beregond. "I think I would rather read a book. Did you bring any of your many books?"

Faramir nodded his head. He then went back to his bed and sat down on it. He was looking at his burlap sack.

"This is a book that I have on Harad," said Faramir, taking a book out of his sack. "I got it for my birthday two years ago. My maternal grandmother, Malloth, is a great lover of books. She has been to Harad herself since her father was an ambassador. The book is good. In a way, it helped me know about my enemies."

Faramir opened the book. Beregond sat close to Faramir and looked at the book.

"It has a lot of information," said Faramir. "It details the great jungles that cover the place. I was shocked at how big they are. In fact, Mirkwood to the north of Rohan is said to be not even one-tenth the size of the greatest of these jungles. The animals there include the great mûmakil."

"No giant spiders, I hope," said Beregond. "Mirkwood is loaded with those buggers, and there's one of a most frightful size in Cirith Ungol."

"Thank goodness there aren't any there," said Faramir. "Although there were giant spiders there at one point, since Ungoliant herself is said to have visited there ages ago, when the jungles were even more extensive than they are now. The book says that none of her brood remain in the lands of the south."

Beregond looked at the book. He was amazed at all the detailed pictures.

"Here is a picture of the great Lighthouse of Zimrathâni," said Faramir, looking at a picture of an immense three-tiered tower. "It rises nearly three hundred fathoms from its base to its pinnacle. It is made from the purest white marble. The tower was constructed by Numenoreans during the reign of Tar-Ardamin. It was here that Ar-Pharazon had a standoff with the armies of Zavadi, the queen of a breakaway kingdom. The two fought for three days, until Zavadi and her troops were forced to retreat."

"Is there anything on Gondor?" asked Beregond.

"Why of course," said Faramir. "The book talks about the often tumultous relationship beween Gondor and Harad. It details the wars that we have had with the Haradrim."

* * *

But Faramir and Beregond are not the only ones engaged in a conversation. Let's take a look outside of the inn.

A woman was walking through the streets. She was wearing a long, dark dress, a shawl, and armored shoes. Visible from her shawl was her hair, which consisted of multiple braids. She had a scimitar on her belt. Her skin was sepia colored. Accompanying her was a man of similar coloring. He was tall, with red robes and a scimitar on his belt.

"It's hopeless, Zimrazîr," said the woman. "I am not going to get back to Bellakar anytime soon. These ships won't trust us. We're what they call Haradrim, and the Gondorians hate us."

"Uruzephel, do not be distressed," said Zimrazîr. "I believe that the resistance against Narduzîr will be able to contact us. Yet Gondor is a far way from Bellakar, and they have yet to send aid for the prisoners of war."

"I had received word that the Steward is here," said Uruzephel. "I do not know if he would be helpful. He is said to be a kind, wise man, but he was one of the leaders against Bellakar. There may not be a way to convince him that we need help - not at all."

"True," said Zimrazîr, "but I think you must seek him out. Still, his exact location I know not."

"Only time will tell if he will help," said Uruzephel.

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**AUTHOR'S NOTES ON NAMES AND PLACES:**

Malloth - supposed to mean "golden flower" in Sindarin. The first root is based on that in mallorn (the golden-leaved trees in the Golden Wood).

Lighthouse of Zimrathâni - My own creation. It is based on the Lighthouse of Alexandria, only several times larger. My artwork even gives it a similar appearance.

Zavadi - The name is not supposed to be Adûnaic. According to my notes, it comes from one of the tongues of Far Harad. Of course this is fanon. Her standoff with Ar-Pharazon is the subject of a future fanfic.

Uruzephel - Neo-Adûnaic (I think I made that up myself; there is Neo-Quenya). I once wrote down my created meaning for the first element, but I forgot. The second element means "daughter" - it is found in the name Zimraphel (the last Queen of Numenor). I created her a long time ago.

Zimrazîr - "jewel-friend" in Adûnaic. He is an original character.


End file.
